Articles by Cazz Blase

Women's involvement in British punk has been marginalised and written out of mainstream histories. In the next few months, The F-Word will run a series of features on women in punk by Cazz Blase. By way of introduction, here she sketches out her own first encounters with the genre, and carries out a vox pop in Manchester to gauge whether the person on the street can name any women in punk

Uglies opens in a world where every teenager undergos extreme surgery on their 16th birthday to mould them into hypnotic and hypnotised 'Pretties'. Cazz Blase reviews a four-part 'trilogy' with plenty to say about body image, cosmetic surgery, citizen journalism, celebrity, the environment and, of course, growing up

Period drama concentrates almost exclusively on the bonnets and Bennets universe of the 19th century novel, while there are few adaptations of more recent material dealing with gender politics and the sexual revolution. Cazz Blase makes some suggestions

Feminist blogs are blooming, but many women seeking a creative outlet still turn to hand-made zines. This May, the Women's Library in London will play host to Zine Fest!, showcasing women's zines past and present, as well as providing scissor-and-paper classes for aspiring zinesters. Red Chidgey, who is organising this first-of-a-kind event, explains to Cazz Blase why zines still flourish and picks some of her favourites

Cazz Blase updates her classic UK Riot Grrrl history by looking at developments from 2000 up to the present day. Covering an oft ignored but vital chapter in the story of UK feminism, she asks: Where to now for Ladyfest? Has the internet crushed print zines? How has riot grrrl influenced teenage fiction? And, is Riot Grrrl dead or has it just evolved?

The third part of Cazz Blase's series looks at the problems inherent in Riot Grrrl, disagreements within the scene over whether it had run its course, the marketing of "Girl Power" and the future of Riot Grrrl. First published in the zine "Real Girls".

The second part of Cazz Blase's 3 part series looks at the political aspects of UK Riot Grrrl; how it brought awareness of feminism to a new generation, encouraged female friendship and solidarity, and how gender politics entered the music scene. First published in the zine "Real Girls".

Cazz Blase's history of Riot Grrrl in the UK is an important introduction to a movement that is often ignored and discounted by cultural critics and even some feminists. Seen through the eyes of the women and girls who were involved, the first part of this 3 part series recounts the origins of Riot Grrrl in the UK and discusses the musical and DIY aspects of the new Grrrl resistance. First published in the zine "Real Girls".